A 17-year-old has offered her heartfelt thanks to an eagle-eyed hairdresser who spotted a lump on her head - which turned out to be a tumour.

Chloe Wickham from Devon was having her hair styled by Karen Gammon with her mum when Karen made the worrying discovery.

It was a regular appointment for Chloe, a student at Petroc College, North Devon, who has been having her hair cuit by Karen every six weeks since she was a child - meaning Karen knew straight away when something was amiss.

Karen said: "When I parted Chloe's hair, I saw a lump like half a peach stuck on. It was hard.

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"I didn't want to scare her, but I'd never seen anything like it in over 25 years of hairdressing and told Julie to get it checked out."

Chloe wasn't in a rush to get to het GP as she didn't have any other symptoms - and when they did go to the GP, he said it was just a normal part of Chloe's skull.

Julie, Chloe's mum, said: "It hadn't been there before. It was about the size of an egg but flat and not sticking out. It just didn't feel right."

Hairdresser Karen added: "When she told me the doctor said it was an occipital protuberance, I encouraged her to go back as I was convinced it wasn’t.

“I was devastated when Julie told me Chloe had a tumour – they’re like family to us - but also relieved that I’d spotted it. It hadn’t been there when I’d cut her hair six weeks before, so it must’ve grown quickly.

“It was a shock when I saw Chloe’s shaved head with staples in, but we’re all so grateful that her tumour wasn’t cancerous.

“Chloe never once moaned or felt sorry for herself – she’s full of life and positivity and just gets on with it.”

Julie and Karen (Image: The Brain Tumour Charity)

Julie went back to the GP and persuaded the surgery to send Chloe for an MRI.

Julie said: "I was outside in the waiting room and heard someone say, 'We'll have to get the doctor to look at this.

"I had a horrible sick feeling, but told myself they may have been talking about someone else.

"You instantly think cancer and your mind jumps to the worst that can happen."

A nurse sent Chloe and Julie home where they waited for a call from her GP.

Julie said: “He told me that I needed to come in and see him straight away

“I was in the office on the phone to Roger who was away for work in Wales when the call came through on my mobile. I put it on my desk on loudspeaker so he could hear.

“I was in a flap but he said, ‘just go’”.

Julie picked Chloe up from college and told her they had to go to the GP.

“Mum told me it didn’t look good,” said Chloe.

“She was doing her best not to let me see she was worried, but we both find it hard to hide our emotions.”

“It felt like I was holding my breath,” said Julie.

As the GP sat them down, she tried to read his face.

“There is no easy way to say this,” he said. “Chloe has got a tumour.”

“You instantly think cancer and your mind jumps to the worst that can happen,” said Julie.

It turned out the lump was a non-cancerous tumour between two layers of her skull.

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"Of course, I knew they'd be happy for us but, as one mum to another, I couldn't help feeling guilty that her daughter had cancer and mine didn't."

Agathe died last year, aged 16. Chloe went to her funeral in Lyon.

Chloe now plans on going to university in Devon to study interior design from September.

(Image: The Brain Tumour Charity)

In memory of Agathe, Roger and other cyclists will cycle 700 miles from Barnstaple to Agathe's home town in Lyon, France in September to raise awareness and funds for The Brain Tumour Charity TSA (Tuberous Sclerosis) and the Centre Leon Berard, a specialist cancer hospital in Lyon where Agathe was treated. www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tourtolyon

Geraldine Pipping, The Brain Tumour Charity's Director of Fundraising said: "We're so sorry that Agathe's family and Chloe have suffered the heartache of losing her to this cruel disease.

"And we are hugely grateful that Chloe's dad and team-mates are embarking on a 700-mile bike ride to raise money for us in Agathe's memory.